Hope is Real

Hope is Real

Sunday, April 10, 2016
Jeff Lampl

I hope that you find hope in the HOPE that is  . . . . 

real and solid (as opposed to the first two usages of the word hope in this sentence).  I think Psalm 33 is really great.  I like how the writer tells us to speak out our confidence in God, how our confidence is well founded, and I like how he ends with the huge contrast between verses 16 & 17 and what follows.     Love, Jeff

Psalm 33

Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord;
    it is fitting for the pure to praise him.
² Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre;
    make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.
³ Sing a new song of praise to him;
    play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy.
⁴ For the word of the Lord holds true,
    and we can trust everything he does.
⁵ He loves whatever is just and good;
    the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth.

⁶ The Lord merely spoke,
    and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
    and all the stars were born.
⁷ He assigned the sea its boundaries
    and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
⁸ Let the whole world fear the Lord,
    and let everyone stand in awe of him.
⁹ For when he spoke, the world began!
    It appeared at his command.

¹⁰ The Lord frustrates the plans of the nations
    and thwarts all their schemes.
¹¹ But the Lord’s plans stand firm forever;
    his intentions can never be shaken.

¹² What joy for the nation whose God is the Lord,
    whose people he has chosen as his inheritance.

¹³ The Lord looks down from heaven
    and sees the whole human race.
¹⁴ From his throne he observes
    all who live on the earth.
¹⁵ He made their hearts,
    so he understands everything they do.
¹⁶ The best-equipped army cannot save a king,
    nor is great strength enough to save a warrior.
¹⁷ Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—
    for all its strength, it cannot save you.

¹⁸ But the Lord watches over those who fear him,
    those who rely on his unfailing love.
¹⁹ He rescues them from death
    and keeps them alive in times of famine.

²⁰ We put our hope in the Lord.
    He is our help and our shield.
²¹ In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
²² Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
    for our hope is in you alone.   Psalm 33:1-22

Here’s a great prayer to pray throughout your day today!

“Lord, you are the greatest, best, and I love you!!!!!!  Amen!”

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Get Started on the Spirit Controlled Life

Get Started on the Spirit Controlled Life

Friday, April 8, 2016

Jeff Lampl

Guess who has a problem with self-control? 

His name is Paul and he wrote a big hunk of the New Testament.   Listen to what he wrote!

“I know the law but still can't keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!  I realize that I don't have what it takes. I can will it, but I can't do it.  I decide to do good, but I don't really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway.  My decisions, such as they are, don't result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. 

It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up.  I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. 

I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question?”    Romans 7:17-25 (MSG)

Paul admits to being controlled by his desires instead of being controlled by the Holy Spirit!

So, did Paul ever get to the point where he was actually Sprit-controlled rather than living in the desperate futility of trying and failing, trying and failing, and then trying once more, only to fail again?   What is he saying here?

He’s saying that on its own, self is too weak to exercise the kind of self-control that we need.   That’s good news, at least to me.   Right now I’m a mess now that my regular exercise routine has been interrupted for months.   I’m also eating too much.   I identify with Paul.  

So, what’s the answer?  What does he say right after he confesses his helplessness?   He gives us the first step in living the spirit controlled life.  It begins what many consider the greatest chapter in the Bible (Romans 8).

            “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”  Romans 8:1.

Do you know what to do if you are sinking in quicksand?  Stop struggling, stop moving and float.  The more you struggle, the more you sink.  Ever felt that way?

Paul says, in effect, stop!   And know these two things.   “The Holy Spirit has set you free from sin and death” (Ro. 8:2) and “letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace” (Ro.8:6). 

In other words, if you struggle with self-control, the place to begin is in silence where you can hear, really hear, “there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus” and where you can pause long enough to reflect on your need for God, and finally where you have paused long enough to absorb, really take in, the reality that God’s spirit is available to you if you only slow down long enough to notice, and live your day aware enough to appropriate the Spirit’s grace and power.   

I can’t image a better starting point for leading the spirit-controlled life than to spend big hunks of time reading and meditating on Romans 8.  In other words, read it until you “get it”.  

“Lord, I want to experience the spirit controlled life.  I am so very weary of the exhausting results of my attempts to live a satisfying self-controlled life.   Lord, I’m ready, be with me and open my eyes as I dive head first into the riches of Romans 8.  Amen”

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Self Control

Self Control

By Megann Graf
Thursday, April 7, 2016

“Everyone must choose one of two pains:
The pain of discipline or the pain for regret.”  -Jim Rohn. 

Well, that doesn’t sound too pleasant, does it?

This past Sunday, Ben preached to us on self-control.  I love how he said how the things of the flesh come so naturally to us.  Even in little children, we see how sin exists in us.  “Little sinners” they are – and they can certainly live up to that.  “Big sinners” are what we are, and it’s not so cute.  What once was an act of immaturity and growing up, has now defined us into the adult we are.  If we don’t practice a discipline of changing our sinful nature, it can lead to a lot of regrets as life goes on.  Discipline stinks.  It really does.  And it stinks both ways, because sometimes it’s as hard to give as it is to receive.  But discipline is what shapes us into who we are, good or bad. 

Sometimes I marvel at the distrust I have towards God.  I hear people say to me, or I hear myself say to others “You’ve got this.”  It’s innocent enough.  It’s said with good intentions of being encouraging and uplifting, but here’s the thing… lately, I’ve been challenged into thinking what a lie that is.  I’ve felt compelled to stop saying that to anyone and everyone.  Because here’s the thing, the “I’ve/You’ve got this” mentality takes God out of the equation, and guess what, He’s the only solution to the equation.  God’s THE ONLY one.   I hate to tell all you control freaks out there (and by the way, I’m one of the biggest ones!) we “don’t got this.”  God’s got this.  If you think that’s an easy thing to change, it’s not.  It takes……….wait for it……..discipline.  Ugh, that dreaded word.  But, oh the risk of regret I have thinking, “I’ve got this” when I really don’t.  Oh the risk of regret I have when I depend on myself more than I depend on God.  Oh the risk of regret when I decide that some food or some drink or some person or some TV show will help me forget the stresses of life.  Or that I deserve it because I’ve had a rough day.  I’m not saying that you can’t indulge in anything, I’m just asking you (and me) a simple question.  Am I turning to God before I turn to those other things?  Because, when the answer is no, then I’m not choosing the Spirit over the flesh and I’m not going to bear much good fruit when I’m feeding on the junk the world is giving me.  This week, as you wrestle with self control, wrestle with giving up control.  Stop convincing yourself that YOU have to handle all of life’s stresses and start resting in the fact that God does have you.  He wants you to know that he cares about all of your needs and hurts.  He cares when you’re a sleep deprived mama.  He cares when you’re worried about the stability of your job.  He cares when your marriage is hurting.  He cares when your kids have gone astray.  He cares.  He loves you.  Don’t regret never knowing how much He loves you because the discipline of spending more time with Him seemed like too much.  It is too great a regret! 

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Out of Control?

Out of Control?

Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Jeff Lampl

 “Losing self-control leaves you as helpless as a city without a wall.” Proverbs 25:28 (CEV)

Did you know that there is a self-control app . . .

for your mobile device or PC?   There’s an app for everything else, why not self-control?   No more need for discipline, sacrifice, doing without, saying no, requiring yourself to exercise restraint, all that difficult character building stuff!   Just let your iphone do it for you!

Here’s a quote I read yesterday from an online forum about apps that you can use to control your use of apps!

“I used to use Antisocial, until I noticed today that it wasn't working when I habitually tried to go onto Facebook. I then tried to download other software to do the same job, including Self Control, and that isn't working either. I don't know what to do or how to fix it.”

What do you do when the self-control apps don’t work?   You’re stuck with yourself!

Here’s a definition of self-control I found on google (no more looking for the dictionary for me, awkwardly leafing through cumbersome pages, I have google!)

“Self-control is the ability to control one's emotions and behavior in the face of temptations and impulses . .(it) is a cognitive process that is necessary for regulating one's behavior in order to achieve goals”

So, we’ve got this free will problem.   We have free will because God has free will and humans are made in the image of God.  We also have free will because love can’t be reciprocated without it.   Puppets don’t love.   But I think there’s another reason for free will.  God put each of here to be loved and to be grown.   God’s plan for human beings in our short time on earth is to grow us up.   All the problems, temptations, options, pain, sources of immediate but not lasting gratifications are all tools in God’s hands to cause us to exercise the discipline to freely choose good things and freely reject bad things.

Each of us is being discipled daily by God and it’s the day to day stuff of life that is our training ground.  Each day we either make progress or we regress.   Every time I cave to a temptation, I’ve failed that part of my discipleship training for that day.   Every time I say no to a temptation, I’ve been trained and have grown into a higher level of becoming Christ-liike.

There’s no app for that!

Self-control matters. 

“Lord, I want to begin each day realizing that each part of each day matters.  With you at work within me today, I will say no to that which displeases you and is bad for me and others and I will say yes to the promptings you place in my mind, regardless of their degree of difficulty.  Amen”

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Peeled: Self-Control

April 4, 2016
Ben Dieterly

During his term as President of the U.S., Lyndon Johnson was somewhat overweight. One day his wife challenged him with this blunt assertion: "You can’t run the country if you can’t run yourself." Respecting Mrs. Johnson’s wise observation, the President lost 23 pounds.

The virtue of self-control is one that we long for, yet few attain it. In fact, most people do not even try because they don’t want to say “no” to themselves. Self-control, while it is highly respected and greatly desired, is tough.

As tough as self-control is, we know that without it, we create many troubles for ourselves. Ask Admiral Phipps, commander of the British fleet in 1750. When the British and French were fighting in Canada, Admiral Phipps was commanded to anchor outside of Quebec. He was given orders to wait for the British land forces to arrive. Then he was to support them when they attacked the city. Phipps’ navy arrived early. As the admiral waited, he became annoyed by the statues of the saints that adorned the towers of a nearby cathedral. So, he commanded his men to shoot at them with the ships’ cannons. No one knows how many rounds were fired or how many statues were knocked out, but when the land forces arrived and the signal was given to attack, the admiral was of no help. He had used up all his ammunition shooting at the "saints."

Have you been there? How many times have we gave in to the tyranny of the urgent to later find ourselves not being able to fulfill our responsibility or dream? Rather than wait until we can afford it, we pull out the credit card and buy it too soon. Rather than wait for further instructions, we move forward in our own wisdom thinking we’ll please the boss only to discover the plans had been changed. Rather than wait on God to fulfill his promise, we decide God needs a little help, so we take action and create a mess.  Granted, our times of not controlling ourselves will not create problems that big. However, the problems we do create do wreak havoc in our lives and the lives of those close to us. So, how do we allow the virtue of self-control to grow within us?

Fruit is produced by a tree when the tree receives everything it needs to be healthy.  As it receives water, nutrients, sunlight, and time to grow and mature, a tree will then produce fruit.  The tree bearing fruit is a byproduct of the tree’s continued health.  If we want to see the fruit of the spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23, then we need to draw closer to God and grow in our relationship with Him.  Love, Joy, peace, self-control and all the other fruit of the spirit will then be naturally produced in our lives as we are disciplined in growing our faith. 

My main takeaway from yesterday’s message was to draw closer to God.  And as simple as it sounds, in doing so you will begin to experience greater self-control.  Go ahead, give it a shot and see what happens.

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Psalm 16

Psalm 16

Jeff Lampl
Sunday, April 3, 2016

It seems to me that the right way to spend the first Sunday after Easter is by celebrating God and the life He has granted you not only today, but also tomorrow.  Psalm 16 will help you to do so.

 “Protect me, Lord God!
    I run to you for safety,
² and I have said,
    “Only you are my Lord!
    Every good thing I have
    is a gift from you.”

³ Your people are wonderful,
    and they make me happy,^[a]
4     but worshipers of other gods
    will have much sorrow.^[b]
I refuse to offer sacrifices
of blood to those gods
    or worship in their name.

⁵ You, Lord, are all I want!
    You are my choice,
    and you keep me safe.
⁶ You make my life pleasant,
    and my future is bright.

⁷ I praise you, Lord,
    for being my guide.
Even in the darkest night,
    your teachings fill my mind.
⁸ I will always look to you,
    as you stand beside me
    and protect me from fear.
⁹ With all my heart,
I will celebrate,
    and I can safely rest.

¹⁰ I am your chosen one.
You won’t leave me in the grave
    or let my body decay.
¹¹ You have shown me
    the path to life,
    and you make me glad
    by being near to me.
Sitting at your right side,^[c]
    I will always be joyful.   Psalm 16 (CEV)
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Panic and Peace are not Opposites

Panic and Peace are not Opposites

Jeff Lampl
April 1, 2016

How I learned to freak out differently from others who freak out.

Our daughter, Sarah, is on a semester abroad internship rehabilitating wildlife (including big cats and other big animals) in Namibia in southwest Africa.   By the middle of last week Kathy and I had not heard from her for 5 days.   While I had begun to become concerned, Kathy had begun to panic, like freak out kind of panic.   We tried calling, texting, email, etc, and  . . .nothing!   As Kathy panicked I learned that panic is contagious.

Meanwhile I was preaching and teaching and blogging on peace, how peace doesn’t mean the removal of problems rather it is found in the midst of them.

As my fear, worry and panic grew I did two things.   First I used logic.   I reasoned that if something were wrong we would have heard about it immediately either from Sarah or from her supervisors.   Sarah has never been one to shrink from expressing her need and responsible overseers would not have hesitated to contact us.   That kind of reasoning almost made not hearing from her tell me that she was safe.

But, frankly, I noticed that my emotions were not cooperating with my reason.  Have you ever noticed that reason and logic have the amazing capacity to have absolutely zero effect on your feelings?

Secondly, I was forced to practice what I preach.   I did two things.   I asked myself if there is something within me that has peace about this.   I discovered that there was and is.  

For years now my favorite thoughts about salvation, peace, and joy all revolve around this one statement, “salvation is confidence in God”.   Because Jesus is in charge of the world I actually do have a confidence that he setting the world right.    I was happy to discover this, that it’s not just a decision to trust, but an actual trust.   So, I can tell you that within me was and is the thought the God has “got Sarah’s back” so to speak. 

I have discovered that confidence in God does not remove or replace worry, fear and even panic, rather it’s just there in the midst of those things.   So, I’ve concluded, rightly or wrongly, that panic, fear and worry are simply normal, expected emotions of a loving parent for their child.    Just as we are told to grieve at loss, but to grieve differently from those who have no hope, it seems to me that although we may freak out, we can freak out differently from those who have no hope.

And yes, I'm fully aware that having confidence in God may mean that worst that can happen on earth might just be exactly what does happen. 

If the worst were to happen, I had to ask myself, would there still be a peace and confidence that God was turning this evil into something beautiful?  Well, the worst did not happen, Sarah was in the desert at a research facility with no phone or internet capacity.   Yet had the worst occurred there is something I know, which as of this writing I don’t believe can be removed from me.   I know about Easter.  I know about resurrection.   There is this thing inside of me that says “God’s got this”.  The worst thing in the world can’t not be made right.  

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